Ponto d'Orvalho Association is now accepting applications for The Traveling Light, a geopoetic project developed as part of Évora_27 – European Capital of Culture.

Designed for 15 young people aged 15 to 20 who are either from or currently living in the Alentejo region, the project offers a nearly year-long journey of expeditions, artistic laboratories, and creative practice in the montado landscape. Participation is completely free. Applications close on 30 July 2026.

The Traveling Light: Walking as an Artistic Practice

Developed in collaboration with Italian writer and geopoet Davide S. Sapienza, The Traveling Light is a geopoetic project led and curated by Joana Krämer Horta, Artistic Director of Ponto d'Orvalho.

Inspired by Vagar ("wandering" or "slow roaming"), the central theme of Évora_27, the project approaches the landscape as a space for artistic creation, inviting participants to walk, observe, listen to, and write the territory as an artistic gesture. Over the course of almost a year, participants will develop a collective project to be presented publicly at the Ponto d'Orvalho Festival in May 2027, and at the project's closing conference in Évora the following month.

No previous artistic experience is required—only curiosity, openness to experimentation, and a willingness to discover new ways of inhabiting and engaging with the landscape.

Applications Open Until 30 July

The open call for The Traveling Light is aimed at young people aged 15 to 20 who are from or currently living in the Alentejo region.

Participation is free and includes all transportation, accommodation, and meals covered by the programme.

More information and the application form are available at pontodorvalho.org.

Applications are open until 30 July 2026.

A Festival Entering a New Chapter

The Traveling Light is the central project of the 5th edition of Ponto d'Orvalho, returning on 12–13 September 2026 to Montado do Freixo do Meio, in Montemor-o-Novo.

This edition also marks the beginning of a new format: from 2027 onwards, the festival will become biennial, culminating in an expanded edition in May 2027 in collaboration with Évora_27 – European Capital of Culture.

This partnership strengthens the project's international dimension while maintaining its deep connection to the Alentejo territory, where, since its foundation, Ponto d'Orvalho has brought together art, ecology, and commensality as ways of imagining and experiencing new relationships with the landscape.

Programme 2026–2027

September 2026 – Six-day immersive expedition across Central Alentejo, including visits to local initiatives and mentorship by Davide S. Sapienza

October 2026 – February 2027 – Four monthly artistic laboratories with Maja Escher, Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodriguez, Davide S. Sapienza, and Raquel Castro

March 2027 – Workshop with Domingo Club

May 2027 – Public presentation at the Ponto d'Orvalho Festival, Montado do Freixo do Meio

June 2027 – Final Conference in Évora

The artistic laboratories are organised in collaboration with the Academia do Vagar – Évora_27 and are also open to the public upon registration.

About Davide S. Sapienza

Davide S. Sapienza is an Italian writer and geopoet. Through his camminate geopoetiche (geopoetic walks), he explores landscape, nature, and walking as practices of knowledge and creation, encouraging participants to develop a deeper, more sensitive relationship with place and the stories embedded within it.

About Ponto d'Orvalho

Ponto d'Orvalho is a multidisciplinary festival based at Montado do Freixo do Meio, in Montemor-o-Novo, bringing together art, ecology, and commensality. Its programme includes artistic residencies, concerts, performances, walks, talks, and shared meals, affirming the rural landscape as a space for creativity, encounter, and regeneration.

From 2027 onwards, the festival will adopt a biennial format in collaboration with Évora_27 – European Capital of Culture.